Top 10 Things That Broke the Internet

Kim Kardashian Paper Magazine
Jean-Paul Goude—Paper
Many people become viral sensations by mistake. Internet fame kind of just falls into their lap — and sometimes they truly never wanted it to begin with. But other people — like, say, Kim Kardashian — specifically set out to achieve the kind of buzz that “breaks” the Internet. Kardashian posed on the cover of Paper magazine in November baring her very naked, very shiny butt, and the headline actually read, “Break the Internet: Kim Kardashian.” On Nov. 12, one day after publishing the story, Paper’s website saw 6.6. million page views. The next day, the site generated nearly 15.9 million page views and reached over 11 million unique visitors. The Internet simply could not get enough of Kim’s derrière, soon turning it into the subject of countless memes. Some people criticized her for baring her booty — she’s a mother, after all — while others commended her for an artful, provocative cover shoot. Either way, NOBODY would stop talking about (and, probably, looking at) her butt. So no, Kim did not literally break the Internet, but she came very close.